African-Americans bear brunt of state's juvenile incarceration
The Sun is to be congratulated on its recent article about how race influences whether Maryland's Juvenile Justice system places young people in rehabilitative or punitive settings ("Race predicts handling of many young criminals," June 25).
Despite the fact that juvenile crime declined in Maryland last year, the number of youths detained actually rose. African Americans from Baltimore were hit particularly hard by increased detention.
African Americans make up 17 percent of the state's population, 39 percent of juvenile arrests and 74 percent of those in secure detention.
Most of Baltimore City's detained youth go to the notorious Cheltenham Youth Facility, which was founded in 1870 as the House of Reformation and Instruction for Colored Children. Eighty-one percent of Cheltenham's inmates are African-American. Only 12 percent of those sent there were charged with violent offenses.
If non-violent, white, middle class youths were incarcerated in nightmarish facilities in similar numbers, a state of emergency would be declared. The state would create programs to keep them in their communities and rehabilitate them close to home.
We should do no less for African Americans.
Vincent Schiraldi, Washington
The writer is executive director of the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice.
Other disparities, problems face state's juvenile system
Another brewing juvenile justice crisis in Maryland is a lack of appropriate mental health resources for disturbed children. We do not seem to have state juvenile mental treatment facilities that are comprehensive and specialized.
Instead of being sent by the state to an appropriate treatment facility, mentally ill children are often put on supervised probation, with the understanding that the parents will use their own insurance and resources to them private treatment.
Specialized juvenile cases have been sent to such states as Massachusetts for treatment, at triple the cost of in-state care.
And, in addition to the racial disparities The Sun reported, gender inequality is a problem. The Juvenile Division of the Circuit Court has programs such as Drug Court and Big Brother services that are available only to boys.
Many violent and drug-addicted girls in the criminal justice system could be helped with that sort of rehabilitation.
A third difficulty with the juvenile cases is a lack of desirable after-care and foster families.
We expect parents to provide the primary nurturing and moral instruction to their children. But many children are lucky if there is one capable and fit parent to look after them.
When parents fail, and a child is removed from the home, few good options exist.
Tamar Alexia Fleishman, Baltimore
School discipline patterns also vary with race
The Sun's headline "Race predicts handling of many young criminals" (June 25) might have easily read, "race predicts handling of school discipline problems."
In nearly ten years of practice as a lawyer (and nearly 30 years of involvement in the criminal justice system) I have witnessed a similar "misdiagnosis" of non-white students cited for disciplinary offenses in classrooms staffed by certain Baltimore city and county teachers.
The major complaint of my clients has been that white students who committed the same acts as black students were not expelled or suspended as often as were blacks. Black students are more readily deemed "bad" than "sick."
I have to conclude that the differential treatment of blacks may also be reflected in a disproportionate number of blacks who drop out of school.
William A. Dorsey, Baltimore
Time for city schools to make some changes
I think it's unfortunate that the teachers the city recently fired are now out of a job and The Sun's reporters took appropriate notice of their plight ("Baltimore fires 278 teachers," June 24).
But what about the thousands of city students and their families who pay high taxes and do not feel comfortable sending their children to city schools?
We constantly hear about the rights of teachers and administrators. What about the rights of the students to a safe and academically adequate school?
As a city resident and a mother of elementary school age children, I find it frustrating to see how much foot-dragging goes on whenever anyone tries to improve to improve the city school system.
It is not only fear of crime that drives residents from the city, but inadequate schools and poor city services.
I am a life long city resident and I am not ready to move out just yet. But I hope to see some attention to these problems from the candidates for mayor.
It would be nice to see some real improvements, not just talk.
Andrea O'Neill, Baltimore
Now that the Baltimore City school system has acted by firing principals and 278 teachers, the news is full of accusations that this action was unfair. But if any other organization had the kind of results the city schools have recorded, people would have been fired long ago.
If the school system were a business, it would have gone bankrupt. If it were the military, it would have lost the war.
I read that most of the teachers fired had only year on the job. But, if after one year, positive results are not recorded, then they probably never will be.
There are public schools throughout the country that are doing exceptionally well in spite of being in poor areas.
The reason that these schools are successful is leadership. Show me a school that is doing well, and I guarantee that the principal is a leader, in addition to being an educated person.
D. J. Myers, Sparks
Should public schools teach kids values ...
I agree with Linda Chavez that schools should set standards of behavior and enforce them ("Ten Commandments posting is a step toward civility," Opinion Commentary June 24). However, I do not believe it is necessary to post the Ten Commandants to do this.
At Pine Grove Elementary School in Baltimore County, we have ten virtues that are a key part of our character education program. Each month, we stress a different virtue.
We stress responsibility in September. In October, we foster a civilized school climate by emphasizing courtesy. Thankfulness goes along with November's holiday and caring with December's.
In January, we talk about respect, which goes well with Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. Washington's and Lincoln's birthdays in February feature discussions of the importance of honesty.
We find March a good time to talk about teamwork and cooperation and discuss perseverance in April.
With the arrival of "spring fever" in May, we remind students that they need to practice self-control. Finally, as students head home for the summer in June, we talk about ways they can be helpful in their homes and communities.
Our monthly virtues are carefully chosen to connect with seasonal holidays and events. This gives teachers a context for the discussions that take place.
The foundation for values begins at home, but all schools, elementary and secondary, must also play an important role.
Joanna Ambridge, Bel Air
...or leave those lessons to their parents?
Isn't it ironic that a nationally known columnist from the Republican right, Linda Chavez, should suggest that "Congress could make a real difference by requiring school districts that receive federal funds to come up with student standards of conduct that enforce proper discipline and decorum."
Doesn't this sound like social engineering? And this from a mouthpiece of the party that loudly calls for less government interference in citizens' lives.
How much more fundamental to the parent/child relationship can you get than teaching proper behavior? Yet Ms. Chavez advocates the government enforcing such standards.
Apparently that paragon of civility and decorum, this Congress, is to enforce the very attributes that it daily demonstrates it doesn't possess.
You may set all the standards you want, local and national, but you cannot enforce behavior. You get the behavior that you endorse -- as individuals, families, communities and nations.
Russ Seese, Aberdeen
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Pub Date: 7/03/99